Pharos
Haqani’s only moon, Pharos, is on the upper end of size for a natural satellite. It is home of the scientific community of the Velan Ascendancy, responsible for maintaining and updating the Lighthouse Integrated Navigation & Exploration System (LINES), as well as the College of Navigation and the Great Library Server. Due to the fact that Pharos has a breathable atmosphere it also serves as a center of trade and diplomacy due to its accessibility in comparison to the corrosive atmosphere of Haqani. Access to the moon is still only possible through a shuttle service from Haqani's orbit as Pharos has a very strong magnetic field that disrupts common navigation devices. Only specially trained navigators with custom built navigation tools can safely land on the surface. Pharos's strong magnetic field is also one of the reasons, why most of the scientific data is stored on the moon. While it makes it harder to store data, it also makes it much more complicated to extract data. The magnetic field provides an additional layer of natural security against data theft. Great Library Server Pharos also provides the easiest way to access the Velan Ascendancy’s Great Library Server. Publicly accessible Comprehensive Archive and Research Data Systems (coll. Library CARDS) offer a wide variety of subscription models as well as one-time information request packages. One of the sections of The Great Library Server is a collection of information necessary to "restart" the human civilization should a second Scream occur. This consists of information on the sector and its known history, post-tech manufacturing, ideas around terraforming etc. All Velan scientists are required to update this information continuously and also collect information from third parties to ad to the repository. For main article, see ''The Great Library Server'' LINES Facility The Lighthouse Integrated Navigation & Exploration System (LINES) is maintained by Velan Khutat in facilities on Pharos. These researchers collate data collected from all Vela Navigators, Vela astrologers, and independent researchers from all over the sector to update the star charts on a regular basis. Expert programmers and UI specialists diligently work on improving the effectiveness of the LINES software by implementing quality of life improvements and updating the software to the latest operating systems of Imperial and non-Imperial shipyards. Each Vela-trained Navigator is given a unique LINES Acount Number (LAN), tied to their DNA and retina scan. As long as a navigator has a valid subscription to LINES, they can download the latest version of the software from one of the many OBELISKS across the sector. LINES Account Numbers are only valid for 4 years. They can be renewed by taking a short test and paying a small fee at the Velan Department of Space Vehicles (DSV). Small DSV outposts can be found on every planet in the core. For main article, see 'LINES Subscriptions & Services'' The LINES facility also maintains '''HORIZONS (High-Orbital, Regional, and Interstellar Zeropoint Open Navigational Services), a surface navigation software for all astronomical objects in the sector. For main article, see 'HORIZONS Surface Navigation Software'' College of Navigation Usually referred to as College of Navigation, the Velan Ascendancy's university and research facilities on Pharos are the sector-leading center of learning, teaching and only second to House Triangulum's research facilities. They offer '''more than 300 different graduate degree programs for their nearly one million students from all around the sector. Entry into the Velan university is very competitive, with more than 700,000 people applying for the 100,000 undergraduate openings each year. Almost 55% of the total student body come from outside the Perithr system and need a sponsorship to be able to afford their education on Pharos. For main article, see 'Musaeum of Pharos'' Roles in Pharos' educational system More laborious tasks like manual data entry into the library databases, giving and selling information to the public, administration or even teaching and research of subjects outside of Navigation, were in the past often performed by serfs or (rarely) freepeople. Khutat, Ustadh, and Eamid oversaw this work, with some Sheikhs offering special coursework assistance programs. After the signing of the Treaty of Cabina, serfs were gradually transitioning into freepeople status and taking on more responsibilities alongside their former noble siblings. The Role of Synthetics Before the War Against the Artificials, many of the more laborious tasks, especially around data entry and administration, were performed by Synthetics. The Musaeum is currently offering these positions up for synthetic citizens again. Research Base Bree 9 Sophisticated cities house the significant population of scientists and students. Lately the Velan Ascendancy has opened Pharos for private research groups, with Research Base Bree 9 being the first promising collaboration between the Major House and the private sector. Refuelling Station Wafra 8 As most space travellers are not willing to deal with Haqani’s corrosive atmosphere, Pharos sees a steady growth in its hotel industry. Not only scientists, but also diplomats, traders, tourists, or crew members of spacecrafts docked for maintenance in Haqani’s orbit, rather stay on the moon than risking the shuttle service to the Velan Ascendancy’s homeworld. Refuelling Station Wafra 8 is catering to this growing clientele. The Fall of The Velan Ascendancy Following the attacks on Orpheus, agents of the Velan Ministry of Merits under influence of the Conclave, together formed the organization REDACTED and justified the events on Orpheus and after, by naming the series of events Operation Kali Yuga. The formation of REDACTED inevitably triggered the Velan end time plans: 'T.I.A.M.A.T ' (Transit Infrastructure And Mass Archive Termination). They destroyed all of Vela’s core services by first wiping servers and then blowing up the physical facilities. Tags '''Moon: Pharos Refueling Station Wafra 8 Occupation: '''Religious missionaries to travelers '''Situation: '''Foreign saboteurs are active Research Base '''Bree 9 '''Occupation: '''Scientists from a major local corp '''Situation: '''Perilous research underway Category:Moons Category:Haqani Category:The Velan Ascendancy Category:House Vela